Monthly Musings from THP's Executive Director
"In this world today, we shouldn't forget that in the midst of conflict and killing, there are people like these, people who are focused on what can be built, rather than what can be destroyed; people who are focused on how they can help people that they've never met; people who define themselves not by what makes them different from other people, but by the humanity that we hold in common."
~ President Barack Obama speaking on the loss of AIDS researchers, doctors, and activists aboard Malaysian Flight 17
The AIDS epidemic is a global epidemic but the tragedy of Malaysian Flight 17 hit very close to home a few weeks ago.
As you all know by now, over 100 passengers who perished on the flight were en route to the 20th International AIDS Conference in Australia. Some of the leading luminaries in the fight against HIV/AIDS were lost including Dr. Joep Lange, former president of the International AIDS Society who was instrumental in the development of antiretroviral therapy. Dr. Lange also worked tirelessly to widen access to HIV drugs in developing countries.
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Addison Ore,
Executive Director
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This was just one of the bright lights and brilliant minds that were extinguished and the impact on the AIDS epidemic will be immeasurable.
Organizers of the conference apparently discussed canceling the event but decided that the best way to honor their fallen colleagues was to continue their work.
Ironically, the theme for this year's International AIDS conference was "Stepping up the Pace."
May it be so.
With deep sympathy,
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Project Shimmy is Back!
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 | | Ken Keeton, Director of Development and Community Involvement |
It's not unusual to find people in the community who feel passionately about a cause; but it is remarkable when people take that spark and fuel a flame. That's exactly what Twisted Dance Collective has done through their creation of Project Shimmy. They looked at the gifts and talents they had to offer and figured out how to use them to make their community stronger. And what's more, they do all the work, from planning to marketing to recruiting and vetting dancers of all types from all over the state.
Over the past five years, Project Shimmy has raised nearly $6,000 for THP's programs and services, and that money has helped us buy food for our pantry, provide lunches and activities at our Higher Ground day center, and enable us to offer more testing and community outreach events.
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THP's #TBT Film Series
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 Join us on August 21st at Geeksboro for the kickoff of our #TBT Film Series to screen the movie "Longtime Companion"!
The show will start at 7 pm and admission is FREE. The first 25 tickets will be available for pick up at Geeksboro one week in advance and the other 25 tickets are first come, fist serve at the screening.
Triad Health Project will host a short discussion after the screening about the relevance of HIV/AIDS in the film.
Please mark your calendar and invite your friends to the upcoming screenings in the #TBT Film Series:
August 21st - Longtime Companion
September 18th- Philadelphia
October 21st- And The Band Played On
November 20th- RENT
December 18th- The Lonely Heart
 JOIN US Thursday, August 21st at Geeksboro for the screening of Longtime Companion At the time of Longtime Companion's release in 1990, the devastating disease of AIDS was seen as a mysterious and deadly scourge, replete with rumors, lies, and panic.AIDS first made its presence felt surreptitiously, as an article in The New York Times reported on a rare cancer attacking gay men called Karposi's syndrome. Then the Village Voice began a series of in-depth articles concerning a "gay plague" which later became known as AIDS. The film follows the AIDS crisis through the lives of the seven main characters so that they are only aware of AIDS in the historical framework of each episode Invite your friends on Facebook!
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We Want Your Feedback!
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What did you like about this year's Dining for Friends Community Party? Did you go? Do you even know about it?
The Community Party, the largest Dining for Friends party, is organized and sponsored by a group of THP friends - and it's open to EVERYONE! Whether you attended this year's party or not, we'd love your feedback and suggestions to make next year's Community Party the best one yet. Please click here to access the survey.
Mark next year's Community Party date on your calendar: Saturday, May 16, 2015 from 5-8PM. You won't want to miss it. Thanks!
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Cooking with Ninevah
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Basil is the one plant that seems to grow in my small garden plot...even when there is too much sunshine...or too much rain. I can cut my basil severely during one garden visit and return a week later to find that this fragrant herb has returned to its "bush-like" state, waiting to be trimmed again. The blessing of an abundance of basil is the opportunity to create lots of smooth, bright green pesto, which can easily be frozen in small batches to use in creating light sauces that embrace...instead of smothering your choice of pasta. In contrast to the large amount of olive oil found in commercial pesto, the recipe I have developed uses a mixture of chicken or vegetable cooking stock paired with olive oil to create a creamy consistency. Pairing fresh spinach with the basil leaves adds extra food value, but does not over-power the delicate sweetness of the fresh basil. I also use chopped walnuts, which are less expensive and have less fat than traditionally used pine nuts. You will also notice that grated parmesan will be found at the end of the ingredient list. If you plan to consume the fresh pesto within 2-3 days, add the grated parmesan as you make the pesto. However, if you plan to freeze the pesto for later use, do not add parmesan cheese as you are mixing the pesto ingredients. Pesto that is frozen with parmesan cheese as an ingredient becomes "lumpy" when it is thawed and mixed with other liquids to make a sauce. Wait to add freshly grated parmesan cheese as you heat the pesto to blend with cream, milk or pasta water to create a delicious, light sauce for your favorite pasta.
Basil-Spinach Pesto
Ingredients
3 ounces fresh basil leaves (approximately 2 1/4 cups)
3 ounces fresh spinach leaves, stems removed (approximately 3 cups)
leaves from 6 sprigs of Italian, flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/4 cup low sodium chicken or vegetable cooking stock or broth
3 - 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 - 4 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Directions
Wash and drain the basil, spinach and parsley leaves, then wrap in a clean kitchen towel to absorb any excess moisture. Set aside.
Place the walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the drained basil, spinach and parsley leaves and the salt and pepper, and process until finely chopped.
Pour the chicken or vegetable cooking stock and 3 tablespoons olive oil over the chopped leaves and pulse until blended and the mixture is becoming a smooth, somewhat thin, paste. If the mixture seems a bit too dry, add the additional tablespoon of olive oil to achieve a smoother texture.
If you plan to use your fresh pesto within 2 - 3 days, add 3 - 4 tablespoons of freshly grated parmesan cheese to achieve a creamy consistency. However, if you plan to freeze your pesto, do not add the parmesan cheese to the mixture prior to freezing.
(Makes approximately 10 ounces of pesto)
To create Pesto Sauce for 4 servings of pasta:
4 tablespoons pesto sauce
3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons whole or 2% milk or water remaining after cooking pasta (pasta water)
Blend the pesto sauce, parmesan cheese and milk or pasta water in a large skillet over low heat. Stir in cooked, drained pasta and toss to blend with the pesto sauce mixture.
Garnish with additional freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
Check out our friend Ninevah in the August Issue of O. Henry Magazine (page 66)
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We are excited to announce that this year's 23rd Annual Winter Walk for AIDS will also host a
5k timed run! Registration for runners (and walkers) will open soon, so stay tuned!
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Each year, THP staff are treated to a fun day at the ballpark. Thanks to Board Member, Valerie Edson, and our friends at Senn Dunn Insurance, staff enjoys an afternoon Greensboro Grasshoppers game in the Senn Dunn Skybox.
THP Staff Appreciation Day is a Homerun!
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Thanks to the tenacity of our friends on Facebook, THP bested several worthy agencies in a online competition and received $5,000 for Higher Ground through BB&T's Lighthouse Project! Many thanks to each and every one of you who voted for Higher Ground. And, of course, HUGE thanks to all the great folks at BB&T Lighthouse Project for their wonderful support of THP!
THP is also honored to be a recipient of a $2,500 grant from The Adam Foundation in support of THP's Higher Ground Day Center!  | |
Shana Carignan and Ken Keeton accepting a check from The Adam Foundation
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 | | Mark Cassity, Director of Higher Ground |
The grand illusions of "community" get washed away pretty quickly when you're actually in community. In theory, we often sing praises to the peace, serenity and gift-giving of community; in actuality, community often means sitting around waiting to see if someone else is going to make the coffee. Illusions of grandiosity can be dangerous, especially when they crumble in our hands - when, for instance, we expect community to give us peace of mind instead of the raging headache we have in its place. The danger is to call difficulty "failure" rather than simply "reality" or to abandon the ordinariness of communion before the true, real, tangible (often ugly or unexpected) blessings can emerge.
Which is why the more and more common catchphrase, "Creating Community," can likewise be dangerous and misleading. We do not have to build community; as people. we are built for community; community is as natural as breathing. And frankly, we don't have enough power to create community either; true community is allowed, never implemented, rules-based or policy-driven.
Want to create community? Work toward your own truest heart, then get a coffee-maker and a chair....
And wait.
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Just Show Up
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I had the honor to present an HIV/STI seminar to the inmates at the Guilford County Juvenile Detention Center this month. I say "honor" specifically because, by the end, it truly was. But, when I arrived in the parking lot that Wednesday, I had mixed feelings. I was a little scared, intimidated, uncertain how I would be received, and what to say.
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Kevin Varner, Director of Prevention and Education
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Would the inmates shut me out? Judge me? Listen? I took a moment and allowed these thoughts to resonate. I realized my fear was simply my own uncertainty of doing something for the first time.
When I went inside, I was warmly greeted by the corrections officer and staff, given a comfortable classroom with a pitcher of ice water for my dry throat-(when I get nervous, I get parched.) And when the young men and women came in and sat quietly for the seminar, they seemed engaged. They listened. They asked smart, thoughtful questions, and we even found moments to joke and laugh together. Humor is a great anxiety reducer.
Afterward, I thought about what these young incarcerated men and women had taught me about fear, and I thought about someone coming in for an HIV test for the first time. There's fear of the unknown and uncertainty. But most often, when we embrace fear, stay with it in the moment, and walk through that door, we are brave. We are moving forward, and we are usually greeted by someone who really wants to listen and help. We may even find an opportunity to laugh, and feel comforted. If we feel the fear and move through it, if we just show up-that makes all the difference.
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Out At The Movies
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Join Out At The Movies for their 10 anniversary with the premiere of The Way He Looks, Saturday, August 9th, 7:00 PM @ UNCSA.
Tickets are $8.00 ($7.00 for seniors/students) and will be available beginning at 6:15 PM in the ACE Theatre lobby.
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